Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner Says It Has Not Completed Investigation Of Scandal

The Mumbai Police on Monday "made it clear that they have not given 'clean-chit'" to former Indian Premier League Chennai Super Kings CEO Meiyappan Gurunath in the betting scandal that "rocked this year's IPL," according to THE HINDU. Meiyappan is the son in law of Board of Control for Cricket in India CEO N. Srinivasan. Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police Himanshu Roy said, "There is no question of giving a clean chit to him. We have not finished with our investigation yet and are looking for the custody of Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf to probe him for his role in the scandal. We will soon be filing a charge sheet" (THE HINDU, 7/29). The PTI reported the BCCI on Monday defended the report of its panel "which inquired into the IPL spot-fixing scandal, saying they could not depend on the police report since the two-member commission was already on the job." When asked "why the BCCI didn't wait for Mumbai and Delhi police to complete their probe before acquitting N. Srinivasan of any wrongdoing," BCCI VP Niranjan Shah said, "I think we can't depend on police report as we had already constituted a commission and whatever the commission said is final." Shah maintained that if "any one of the accused is found guilty during further investigations by the police authorities, BCCI will take immediate cognisance." Shah: "If anyone is convicted, automatically the BCCI will take notice and step in to take necessary action" (PTI, 7/29).

'ICB SHOULD WAIT': The PTI also reported the Indian Cricket Board on Monday made it clear it "does not give much importance to the verdict and would rather wait for the police probe to get over." India Sports Secretary P.K. Deb said, "The BCCI might have cleared them, but I think the Indian Cricket Board should wait for the police probe to get over" (PTI, 7/29). In a separate article, the PTI reported "cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad," training his guns at the BCCI "for handing out clean chits in the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal," on Monday asked whether "the Indian cricket board considers itself above the law." Azad: "I don’t blame (BCCI acting chief) Jagmohan Dalmiya or Srinivasan for this. The politicians are hell bent on making BCCI the next Indian Olympic Association. We have seen what happened to IOA due to political interference and now the same is happening with BCCI. While the Mumbai police and the Delhi police are investigating the case, the BCCI panel has given them a clean chit. Is BCCI above the law and constitution of the country?" (PTI, 7/29).